Millennium Soul: Shadows Dawning
by Starfire Eld
Summary: Kanika has suffered from terrible seizures since she was small. Rima refuses to sing since the death of her sister. But these become the least of their problems as something strange emerges from the shadows. Events will slowly draw these two girls towards each other as they both come face to face with a mysterious orange-eyed man. T for some language and violence.
1. Prologue

A sound like nails scraping against stone moaned through the air, stopping the figure in his tracks. Burning red eyes flashed through the darkness. Even though all three moons were dark, his eyes picked out objects and landmarks with ease, trying to find the source of the sound. When his eyes fell upon a branch against the wall of a nearby building, blown by the wind and creating the sound again, he scowled at himself.

He regathered himself and returned to his path. After all, who knew how long the night might last, and there were things to be done before the sun reappeared.

The door he was searching for appeared quickly as he turned the corner. He gave only a cursory glance about to be sure no one was following. Then he touched the place where the knob should be and whispered a quiet word. The great oaken door swung silently open.

A torch illuminated the inside of the great stone room. He blinked for a moment to readjust to the new light.

"Yomi..."

The voice, softer than thought, nevertheless caught his attention.

The room he stood in was no bigger than a small dining room, and indeed, a long rounded table sat at the center of it. But there was no food spread on this table, and this was no dining room. Seven pairs of eyes looked up at him, but he met only one, silver-eyed gaze.

He bowed deeply to the goddess at the head of the table, but she shook her head.

"There isn't need nor the time for that, Yomi. We must make haste, before my thoughts spring to another topic."

She did not speak threateningly, but rather bluntly. After all, a goddess of chaos could not focus on one thing for too long. It was not in her nature.

Yomi slid into the seat at the other end of the table. The silver-eyed goddess studied the group that sat at the table.

"My friends," she said quietly, sadly. "It is time."

Yomi's hands clenched into silent fists on the table, but he did not speak. He knew the motion did not go unnoticed by her, but she did not mention it.

"Do you have to?" said a small, child-like voice from the hunched figure that sat just to her left.

She looked sadly at the boyish figure.

"Yes. And I must do it now, before I forget myself."

She bowed her head, dark strands of hair falling over her already shadowed face.

"This is the only way," she whispered, almost to herself. "Or...they'll fight forever...and I'll never be able to stop them..."

Yomi could hardly stop himself from trembling – partly from anger at himself, and partly from anger at the hordes just beyond the city that were forcing this drastic action.

With a sudden jerk, the goddess rose from the table. Her seven retainers stood up smoothly with her, except for the hunched one at the end, who merely slid off his chair and remained crouched on the floor.

"Is it – is _she_ ready?" the goddess asked.

One of the guardians, a slender, willowy thing, inclined her head silently.

"All is prepared."

Yomi looked down. He did not want to look into the next room. He did not want to see that..._thing_ again. He could not bear the thought that his goddess would be forced to live, dormant, in that small, weak, pathetic form, for who knew how long.

The goddess seemed to read his thoughts.

"It will be all right," she whispered. "In fact, you may...come to care for her, more than me."

Yomi's eyes flashed up to meet the goddess'.

"Never," he swore. "I will protect her – _it –_ as I have protected you, but I will never become attached to that thing. I will do no more than my duty for it."

The goddess' eyes were sad, but understanding.

And, without another word, she swept into the next room. She hadn't even said goodbye – typical, for a being made of chaos. Yomi awaited the dormancy he knew would overtake him. He was not disappointed.

In a few moments, everything went dark.

And the Cycle began.

Kanika Tanigawa awoke with a groggy headache. What time was it?

Then she remembered.

She had been dreaming again.


	2. Something Wicked This Way Comes

"Okay. Let's try this again."

The girl took a soft, steadying breath. Then she popped upwards, smiling brightly at herself in the mirror.

"Hello, I'm Kanika Tanigawa! I'm pleased to meet you!"

She smiled at herself, but for some reason it felt cheesy and fake. She slumped down. A great sigh escaped her. There was no way she was ready for this. This was going to be terrible! She buried her face in her hands and groaned for a minute. Then she peeked through her fingers at herself in the mirror.

She was pretty, but not strikingly so – at least, she thought so. Her black hair had been cut into a short bob at chin-length, framing a somewhat rounded face that had not yet lost all of its baby fat. Her almond shaped brown eyes sparkled from a tanned face. Normally, she liked the way she looked, but today she was worried. She was going to a high school where she knew no one. Their first thought was going to be how tan she was – that was how it was for a half-Syrian girl in the middle of Japan. She didn't need the extra judgment from them...her tongue-tied personality would make that prevalent enough.

She hugged herself and stood up again. For the billionth time she checked the fit of her brand new school uniform. A plain dark blue blazer and matching pleated skirt, the only thing that really stood out about it was the bright red ribbon at the collar and the green oak and shield insignia of the prestigious Fujibayashi Private Academy. For a moment, she glowed with pride, so happy to be wearing that fabled uniform. She had studied for months during her stay at the hospital, determined not to fall behind so that she could reach her goal of being a Fujibayashi student!

But the thought of the hospital made her deflate, and all of her worries came back to haunt her. She had been in the hospital for almost a year, lost touch with the few friends she knew, and she didn't even know anyone going to Fujibayashi in the first place. Would she find any new friends at the academy? Would they all stare at her? Would anyone talk to her, even? She was so nervous her hands were shaking!

She balled her hands into fists to stop the shaking, and pretended that these worries were at the forefront of her mind. Normal, teenager worries. But it didn't work for long, and the real fears surfaced.

She had been dreaming again.

"Kanika!"

The worries had made her so high strung that she jumped at the voice. She jumped so high, in fact, that she fell over and landed on her butt. Wincing and blushing at her blunder, she scrambled back to her feet.

"Yes, _to-san_?" she called.

"Come down and eat, Kanika! You need breakfast before the big day!"

"And we want to see you in the new uniform!" her mother added.

Kanika blushed a bit. She glanced at herself in the mirror one more time.

_Okay_, she thought. _You can do this. It doesn't matter if you're dreaming again. Everything's going to be okay...and this day is going to be the best ever._

She turned and half ran down the stairs.

The smell of fish and rice wafted up to her, and she sighed happily. It was like the mere scent of home-cooking wiped all the worries away. Her father was already sitting at the table when Kanika trotted down the stairs. He folded up his newspaper, removed his reading glasses, and looked up, dark almond eyes sparkling from a creamy brown face.

"All right, all right, give us a turn," he said, spinning his finger.

Kanika laughed a little and turned around to show off the uniform. Her father gave her a resounding applause.

"Congratulations, Kanika," he said, as she sat down. "You made it! Your first day of high school is a big day!"

Kanika's mother turned around from the corner with steaming plates, placing them in front of Kanika and her father. Kanika always secretly hoped that someday she would be as pretty as her mother. A tall, willowy woman, she was dark haired and dark skinned, with deep brown eyes and long flowing hair.

"You look beautiful, Kanika," she said as she too settled down. "All grown up."

Kanika blushed a bit, murmuring thanks. Then she dug into the food, suddenly ravenous.

"Did you sleep well, dear?" her mother asked. "I hope you didn't spend too long staring at the school brochures."

Kanika almost choked, but managed to recover quickly enough to avoid catching attention. She took a sip of tea before answering.

"Uh, yeah, fine," she said. "No, I went to bed early last night. I slept fine."

She almost said 'no dreams, or anything,' but realized that would definitely give her away.

"Good, good," her father said. He glanced once more at the newspaper, and then shoved it into the recycling bin.

"All right, I have to get to the office," he said.

"Don't you want another cup of tea?" her mother asked.

"No, no, the company needs its top dog there," he joked. "Don't worry, I'll be home in time for dinner."

He threw his suit jacket over his arm. He came around the table to kiss Kanika's mother, which Kanika glanced away from, and then stopped by Kanika to ruffle her hair.

"Be good today," he said teasingly. "My little grown-up girl."

"I'll do my best," she said, hugging him.

"That's my girl."

He winked and waved, and then disappeared from the room. Kanika's mother started to pick up the dishes.

"Do you want me to drive you, Kanika?" she asked.

Kanika finished her fish. She shook her head as she swallowed.

"No, I'll walk," she said.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to strain yourself."

"_Kaa-san_. I'm fine; the doctor said so."

Her mother still looked a little worried. But she smiled gently anyway.

"All right. Well, hurry up then, you don't want to be late."

Kanika nodded and jumped up from the table. After a moment's hesitation, she ran around the table to hug her mother.

"Okay, see you after school, _kaa-san_," she said.

"Have a wonderful day!"

With a smile and a grin, Kanika grabbed her bag from a chair and ran to the door. The sky was bright, the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, and the day was cozy. She closed her eyes to breathe it in for a moment.

She was so immersed in the day that she didn't notice the man across the street. She didn't notice the white-robed figure pause. Impassive orange eyes took her in for a moment, and lips turned downwards slightly. But his gaze glanced elsewhere, and his purpose diverted.

So Kanika ran on, her spirit untainted by the thoughts of what might be coming her way.

_Culture Notes:_

-_to-san_: Japanese for "father", somewhat informal

-_kaa-san_: Japanese for "mother", somewhat informal

-Japanese breakfast: much different from America; usually consists of fish, rice, even soup.

-Japanese high school: High school is not mandatory in Japan, and students have to test into them. The fancier the school, the harder the tests. Students also have to pay school tuition to attend even a public high school.


	3. Hell and Back Again

Rima woke up in a cold sweat for the third time this week. There was nothing to reassure her except blank walls, a tiny shuttered window, and a bare light bulb, which actually just made her feel worse.

With a terrible groan, she forced herself out of bed. It was only seven in the morning; she didn't really have to get up. But there was a snowball's chance in hell that she was going back to that nightmare ocean.

Tucking her hands under her armpits and cringing at the cold floor on her bare feet, she shuffled over to the dresser to see if she had any clean socks. She didn't. With a grimace, she dug a pair from her dirty pile. It was probably about time she headed over to the laundromat; did she have enough spare change to get things cleaned?

She shoved the thoughts of bill calculations from her mind and just pulled on the socks, quickly following that with a crumpled green tank top and a pair of torn denim shorts that were surprisingly clean. She glanced at herself in the cracked mirror, and grimaced. She looked like something had been chewing on her, then tossed her into a garbage dump to rot for a little while.

Her normally smooth, sea foam green hair was in desperate need of a brushing, and there were dark circles under her green eyes. Her clothes were hopelessly rumpled and she probably needed a shower. She grabbed a broken brush and ran it through her hair until it looked somewhat presentable. Then she fumbled around in a drawer for her hair band and pulled half of her hair into a ponytail on top of the rest of her hair. She still looked terrible. Damn, when was she getting paid for that job last week?

While her mind was on it, she reached down to the last drawer and slid it open. A neatly folded black cloak stared back up at her, and she grimaced. That wasn't what she was looking for; besides, she wasn't on duty today, so she didn't need to wear the obnoxiously conspicuous garment. She shoved it aside to pulled out a thin stack of cards instead, and shoved those into her back pocket.

"Never leave home without 'em," she mumbled.

She then shoved the drawer closed, and let her eyes wander up to the two photos on top of the dresser.

One photo depicted a laughing, blond-haired girl of no more than six. She was in mid-spin, and her hair was a blur around her. Beside that one was an image of a young, pretty Japanese woman with short black hair and shining brown eyes, her arms wrapped around both a younger Rima and the blond headed girl in the other photo. There was another set of hands on the girls' shoulders, but her father's face had been cut out of the picture with a pair of scissors.

Rima sighed.

"Okay, see you later, Reiko," she said to the picture of the blond-headed girl. "I'll see you tonight."

She clapped once before the photo, and stood up with her knees cracking.

It was the start of another, terribly boring week.

_Culture Notes:_

-Clapping to the photo: This is a Shinto practice. Dead family members are usually remembered with a small household shrine that includes their photo, and the clapping is a sign of respect. It is also not uncommon to talk to the shrine as if talking/praying to the deceased.


	4. A Day of Death

_Okay. It's just like I practiced. Just stand up, say your name, and that's it!_

Kanika shifted uneasily in her seat, unable to stop herself from fiddling with the hem of her blazer. Okay, who were the people that had already introduced themselves? She had to remember their names for when she went to talk to them later. But try as she may, her spinning head could not hold each name for more than a few seconds. Oh, the boy sitting in front of her was introducing himself now!

She took a deep, steady breath, trying to calm herself. She popped up just a little too fast as the boy in front of her sat down, and her voice came out as a squeak first. There were a few muffled giggles around the room, which make Kanika feel worse.

She pulled herself together.

"I-I'm Kanika Tanigawa, from Kirisoto Junior High," she said. "Um...I'm pleased to meet you all."

She bowed quickly and sat down even quicker. She had done it! Her enjoyment of the moment was short-lived, however, as the girl to her right leaned towards her.

"So," she said in a low voice. "You get stuck in a tanning bed, or what?"

Kanika flushed.

"Uh, n-no, this is my natural skin tone," she said.

The girl's eyebrows raised, and she half-smiled. She leaned back into her chair, leaving Kanika curl up in on herself. For a moment, she wished she could just die. Why was her skin color such a big deal? It wasn't like she could change it...

Though, as she stared down at her tan hands, she couldn't help but wish that she could.

The bell rang for lunch, and Kanika put down her pencil. Already groups of kids were standing up and chatting with one another, laughing and talking. She hadn't gotten any more comments about her skin tone, she thought hopefully. Maybe it was just that one girl that was going to be mean. And the day hadn't been all bad, either: Fujibayashi classes were fantastic! History had been fantastic, and she had never expected math to be so much fun.

She reached behind her to get her book bag and took out her lunch. Her mother had made it for her, and she was sure it was going to be delicious! She hesitated before unwrapping it, suddenly thinking that she should try and sit with someone. It wouldn't be a good idea to be alone on the first day – she might be stuck like that forever!

So she glanced around the room, trying to spot someone that she could sneak over by. She noticed a tall, dark haired girl sitting alone at the back of the room. There, she'd go sit over there. But as she started to stand up, a shadow fell over her desk.

She glanced up to see a smiling girl with a round face and bleached, bobbed hair.

"Hey," she said. "I'm Kiira Maeda."

"O-oh, hi," Kanika said, flustered. "I-I'm Kanika Tanigawa."

"Yeah, I heard when you introduced yourself. Kirisoto Junior High, right? My friend Isuzu went there. Do you know her?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Kanika said, blushing. "I...well, see, I was in the hospital for most of last year."

"Really? And you still graduated and came here? You must be, like, super smart!"

Kanika ducked her head shyly.

"Oh, well, I do really love learning..."

"I thought so," Kiira said, laughing. "I saw you taking lots of notes during history. Hey, would you like to come sit with me and my friends?"

Kanika could hardly believe it.

"O-oh, yes!" she said, brightening. "I'd love to."

"Great! Come on."

Kiira grabbed Kanika's arm and pulled her across the room. Kanika barely had time to grab her lunch. The bleach-blonde girl steered Kanika over to a set of desks pushed together where two other girls were sitting. The first was a super-skinny girl with long, black hair and thick bangs. The other was a very busty girl with bright red hair and a wide grin.

"Hey," the red-head said. "Who's this, Kiira?"

"This is Kanika Tanigawa," Kiira said. "Kanika-san, this is Ami Hatsune..."

She pointed at the red head, who waved.

"And Isuzu Koshimizu," Kiira said, pointing to the dark haired girl. Isuzu gave Kanika a passing glance before looking down at her book again.

"P-pleased to meet you," Kanika said shyly.

Kiira didn't give her time to complete the greeting, practically pushing her into a seat. Then she, too, took a seat across from Kanika.

"So, Kirisoto, right?" Kiira said. "I'm from Kageyama."

"O-oh, really?" Kanika said. She'd never heard of the school before. So she just nodded as she unwrapped her lunch and opened the _bento_ box.

"Ooh, that looks pretty good," Ami said.

"Oh, thanks," Kanika said. "My mom made it...she's a much better cook than me."

"Mama's girl?" Isuzu observed dryly.

Kanika flushed, and Kiira sent Isuzu a half-glare.

"Don't take her seriously; she's just irritable," Kiira said with a reassuring smile.

"Hey, Kanika, mind if I try that?" Ami asked, pointing at her _onigiri._

"Oh, I guess so," Kanika said. Sharing food is what friends did, right? "Uh...Maeda-san, Koshimizu-san, would you like one? I think I have enough."

"Oh, sure," Ami said. "You're a pal, Kanika."

Isuzu also took one, but didn't say anything. Kanika smiled shyly, but was suddenly starting to feel a bit uneasy.

By the time the bell for the end of lunch rang, Kanika's lunch was all gone – and she had barely eaten half of it. But it was okay, because the other three hadn't been able to bring anything that day. She was glad she was able to help.

"Oh, Kanika," Ami said as they returned to their seats. "Can I borrow your history notes? I think I dozed off about halfway through that class, and I missed some of it."

"Oh, sure," Kanika said, brightening. This was definitely what friends did! "Did you not sleep well last night?"

She dug out her notebook and handed it to Ami, who grinned in thanks.

"Yeah, I'm terrible at sleeping when I'm supposed to," she said. "Thanks, Kanika, you're a life saver!"

Kanika smiled again, but this time it was a little harder to do. She couldn't remember telling them that they could call her by her first name...oh, well, maybe that's what you did in high school. She turned towards the chalkboard as the teacher strode in.

That was when the sliding door opened, and a tall, brown-haired lady glanced in. The teacher paused. He walked over to her, waving noncommittally at the class to let them know they could keep talking for a minute. The chatter resumed almost immediately, drowning out the conversation between the two. Then the teacher paused and glanced across the room. He said something, but it was lost in the commotion. Irritated now, he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted across the room.

"Kanika Tanigawa! Are you here?"

The conversations stopped immediately. It was silent as Kanika jumped up from her seat. She could feel all eyes on her, and ducked her head. The teacher motioned for her to come over, and she slunk across the room.

"Y-yes?" she said.

The teacher was shaking his head, and the brown-haired lady touched Kanika's shoulder.

"Tanigawa-san, come with me, please," she said.

"Why?"

The lady's face softened, and there was real sadness in her eyes.

"Tanigawa-san, I'm afraid...your father has been in a car accident. Your mother wants you at the hospital."

Everything stopped. Time seemed to freeze. The beginnings of conversations restarting behind her seemed to fade and disappear. All she could hear was the pulsing of her blood in her ears, all she could feel was her heart thumping in her chest.

_"Your father has been in a car accident."_

_"Hospital."_

Her head spun, and she nearly fell over. Her heart beat dangerously fast in her chest. She barely registered walking down the halls with the lady, going outside, climbing into a car. She didn't recognize the road, or the cars zooming past them.

It wasn't real until they pulled up to the hospital. Ambulance lights were flashing, gurneys were still being rolled into the emergency room, and Kanika's mind started to play tricks on her.

Blood stained white surfaces everywhere she looked. In her mind's eye, she could see the twisted, mangled remains of vehicles sighing against each other – and bodies were everywhere. And every single one of them had the face of her father.

She cried out and fell to her knees as the lady tried to help her out of the car. The lady whispered soothingly, but Kanika couldn't hear the words. She let the woman lead her into the emergency room. Kanika's mother was waiting there, her eyes dead and her hair a mess. Make-up was smeared down her cheeks. When she saw Kanika, the floods seemed to break. Fresh tears bubbled over her cheeks as she ran to her daughter and enveloped her in a suffocating hug.

"Where's _to-san_?" Kanika said. "Where is he? Where is he?"

Her mother trembled slightly.

"Kanika, Kanika," she whispered. "He's...he's gone."

Everything really and truly ended. Kanika froze against her shaking mother.

Then the attack started.

Kanika slid down to the floor. Her mother tried to hold her up, but Kanika couldn't stop her collapse. She collapsed onto the lobby floor, and the terrible shaking that started every attack began. Her mother was crying out, telling her to wake up, that it was okay. Tears flooded from Kanika's eyes, and her vision started fade in and out. She clapped her hands over her ears, willing herself to stop hearing sirens that weren't there and screams that weren't happening.

"_To-san, to-san!_" she screamed.

There he was, laying dead on the pavement, blood was everywhere, limbs the wrong way – NO! She screamed again and again and again. Her arms flailed of their own accord, and it felt like hands were yanking on her from every direction. She couldn't hear anymore, not beyond the whine that turned into a scream in her head.

Sometime during the attack, she blacked out.

Her last thought was of her father's smiling face.

Culture Notes:

-Japanese school lunch: During lunch, students pretty much hang out wherever they want. Outside, in their classroom, in the cafeteria if there is one.

-_Bento_: A Japanese boxed lunch

-_onigiri_: Rice balls

-Names in Japan: In Japan, it's not polite to call someone by their first name unless you know them really well. Last names with honorifics like "san" attached to the end are much more polite. The girls calling Kanika by her first name when they barely know her is pretty forward.


	5. Don't Sing

Mondays were the worst. There was nothing more infuriating than watching people bustle off to work while she leaned against a street corner and tried to figure out how she was going to manage paying this month's rent. So, as far as Rima was concerned, Monday should be strangled, stomped on, and then thrown into an incinerator where she could watch it burn.

She took a draw from her cigarette, but it wasn't feeling very satisfying right now. The dirty looks people were sending her were also obnoxious. She dropped the cigarette and ground it under her boot. What to do, what to do...she hadn't gotten a call for a Ghoul job in a week, and she hadn't gotten paid for the last one either. Stupid, mysterious boss-man Marik...he took forever to get paychecks in the mail. Really, was it so hard for a criminal overlord to send out a measly check?

She slouched off the wall and decided to head to the park. Maybe she could find somebody that would bet money on duels again. A man bumped past her and nearly spun her around. He didn't apologize because he was busy talking on his stupid little cell phone. Rima flipped him off and continued walking. She hated people – they were all dumber than a pig with its tail cut off.

The day was beautiful, but that just made Rima more irritated. The blue sky, the vibrant green trees and grass of the park, the birds singing and the breeze wafting past her – it all seemed to mock her. The only other people she could see in the park was a group of kids playing soccer. No duelists here. She groaned, and took a seat at her favorite bench instead. Maybe she'd take a look at her deck and try to figure out why she lost that one job two or three times ago...nah, too much effort.

A robin fluttered down from a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. It stared at her for a minute, with a cocked head, and then hopped around a little bit.

"Sorry, I don't have any seeds for ya," Rima said. "Or worms, either. I don't actually know what you eat."

The robin ignored her, hopping around on the grass next to her. She half-smiled at the little creature as it cocked its head again, listening. It chirped one or two times, the first bars of a song.

Her smile fell away.

"Aw, shove it," she said, looking away.

It still ignored her, and chirped again a few more times. The song started to bubble away at the back of her head_._

_A falling rain..._

She shook her head angrily. With a frustrated jerk, she pulled her cards out of her back pocket. Maybe she'd look at her cards anyway. It might help her forget _that_ song.

"Warrior Lady of the Wasteland stays," Rima muttered. Talking out loud got rid of any chance that she'd start singing without thinking about it. "Banner of Courage stays...my Blustering Wind Combo and Blade Knight worked well together...ah, better get rid of Giant Rat. Totally useless last time...and Limit Reverse didn't work too well either...damn, I need some stronger cards."

She kept flipping through the cards, but slowly, her consciousness of the act faded away and she stopped talking out loud. It wasn't long before she started humming, and it was an even shorter time before she started singing unconsciously.

_"A falling rain...blacked out your wings...and makes my ears ring. I screamed aloud...the light all fell down...and now, the darkness reigns...I'm lost, alone...why can't you hear me call out –"_

The song died in her throat as soon as she realized she had been singing. A burst of fury exploded in her chest, and she had the sudden urge to punch something.

That's when she realized that he was watching her.

She wasn't sure how she knew – maybe the wind had made his cloak snap a little too loudly – but when she turned around, she saw the figure standing behind her, under a tree. He was clad in the iconic Ghoul cloak, which fluttered in the wind. The cowl had been pulled up over his face, obscuring him from her sight. Damn, those cloaks were conspicuous. Might as well call all the police down, cause it looked like there was a cultist in town.

"What're you looking at?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, you know what, unless you're carrying my paycheck, I don't wanna know. Come back never."

And she turned around to glare at her cards again. She glanced back when he didn't answer, surprised that he would take the hint so quickly. He hadn't, it appeared. He was still standing there, like a statue.

"You gotta problem, buddy?" she said, standing up. "What do you want?"

He seemed to come back to himself.

"Oh," he said. "I apologize. I heard you singing; I was curious."

Rima's irritation jumped up a level, and her fists clenched so tightly that it hurt.

"Curious about _what_, Ghoul?"

"I..." he hesitated. "The...sadness. In your song, I mean. I didn't know...that anyone could, uh, put that much feeling into a song."

Rima's lip curled.

"Oh, is that it?" she said. "Well, now you know better. Screw off and don't let me ever see you again."

He was persistent, though.

"Why...why is it painful? Your song, I mean –"

"What the _hell_ do you know about it?" Rima snapped. "What the hell do you know about pain? Nothing, so screw off. I'm not going to ask you again!"

The boy paused – but it was not a hesitant pause. For a moment, the air seemed to tighten, and his bearing seemed to change dramatically.

"What do I know about pain?" he said, and his voice was harsh and cold. "More than you could ever imagine, fool."

Rima was not about to be intimidated.

"Oh, I'm the fool, now? Here's an idea: why don't you lay off other people's private lives? Why do you even care about my stupid song, anyway? It doesn't mean anything!"

The boy's shoulders tensed beneath his cloak.

"Because when I heard that song, for the first time you made me feel something that I can't remember feeling ever before," he said, a calm fury in his tones with so much authority that Rima almost faltered. This boy acted as though he was used to giving orders, and having them followed.

"Okay?" she said, a little more guarded. "So?"

He didn't answer for a moment.

"It's...difficult to explain," he said finally. "I...the song...fit me, I guess. It put feelings to things that I ignored before. And there was a warmth...here."

His bronzed hand touched his heart gently.

"And then I...never mind."

"What?"

"You won't tell me everything, so neither will I."

There was a hint of irritation in his voice, but it was more of an exasperation than an actual irritation. Rima crossed her arms. They stared each other down for a moment, or, at least, Rima tried to through that cowl of his. He didn't falter for even a second.

There was something there, she realized. Something in his bearing that reminded her of...herself. Although he held himself proudly, like a little king or something, there was something broken in his stance, in his voice. Like the mask she wore every single day, he seemed to be cloaked in thick walls that shut out the world. It made her release a little bit of tension, like all the air was whooshing from her stomach.

Maybe he hadn't been lying. Maybe that song did somehow mean something to him.

Slowly, a smile cracked across her face.

"You know what? I think I like you," she said. "You're not too easy to push around. I'm Rima. What's your name?"

It took slightly longer than it should have for him to answer.

"Namu."

"Pleased to meet'cha."

"Mm."

The silence grew between them, and Rima started to become impatient. What did this guy want, anyway? A clock tower chimed in the distance, and the boy looked off down the path.

"I have business to attend to," he said, almost hurriedly. "Good bye."

He turned, the cloak billowing as he walked.

"Well, I'll see you later," Rima said to his disappearing back.

Before she walked on, though, she glanced down at the bench she had just been sitting on. Carved on the back of the bench was a heart and two names: Sasami X Namu.

"Heh," she said softly. "Well...I guess everybody's got their secrets."

She walked on.


	6. Of Pointless Existences

Kanika lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. The lights were off, the shades were down, and the door was closed. She was effectively alone.

The ceiling didn't change. It wasn't interesting to look at. But she couldn't find the energy to get off of the bed. She hadn't been back to school in almost three days. Someone had dropped off her homework; she wasn't sure who. She thought maybe it was someone from the office.

Such mundane thoughts chased themselves around a dull mind. They were like dogs chasing their tails for no reason other than that they had to keep moving. She had to keep thinking about something...or she might never stop again.

She lifted her hand above her and stared at her palm. What was she going to do now? Was it possible to get over this? Her counselor had said so. He had said something about being in the first stages of grief, or something. Depression was normal at this point, he said. It was something that would heal, with time. The best thing to do was to go back to daily tasks, while trying to think about the happy times. The happy times...she found them difficult to find in her hazy mind, her hollow heart.

She let her hand fall back to the bed. Then, in spite of herself, tears started to prickle in her eyes again. Her breath caught in her throat. She rolled over so that her sobs were muffled by the pillow, clutching at it like a lifeline under the tears managed to fade away. She had thought she was empty. There couldn't possibly be anymore room in her for anything else except not feeling. But...that was a lie, it seemed. There was always room for more sadness.

For a moment, she heard the floor in the hallway creak. Her mother was probably at the door again. Would she leave food outside again? Kanika hadn't touched anything for the past three days. She and her mother had barely spoken since the hospital lobby. She hadn't spoken really to anyone, except the counselor. Kanika's cell phone flashed in the corner, probably because her father's vice president and family friend, Karin, had texted her again. But Kanika didn't really want to talk to Karin, or anyone, right now.

Kanika hiccuped with tears. Then she wiped them away furiously. Her father would be ashamed of her for this, she thought to herself. He would want her to keep on smiling, no matter what. He would be...very upset to know how upset she was.

She glanced across the room at the mirror. Her face was messy with dried tears, and her eyes were bloodshot. Her clothes were hopelessly rumpled. She hadn't slept well, either. The dreams came in fits, the way they used to when she was younger. Dreams of dark corridors, cold hands, and a deep, unwavering feeling of fear. Dreams of dying.

She sat up on her knees and hugged herself. It was cold. She rubbed her arms for a few moments. Then she slapped her cheeks, glared at herself in the mirror, and forced a smile.

It looked weak and fake even to her, and it collapsed quickly. But stubborn, she tried again. It was a little bit better this time, but it didn't last long. Another smile. Another. Again. Again.

She started crying again sometime during this, but she kept smiling. It started to look deranged, and she stopped, just letting herself cry for a little bit. Then she wiped her eyes. She slid off the bed and shuffled to the desk. A few textbooks looked up at her mournfully. She touched one gently.

"Okay," she whispered. "_To-san_ really, really wanted me to make it into Fujibayashi, because I wanted to go there. He helped me study really hard for the tests. I...I have to keep working hard...for...for _to-san_..."

More tears threatened to fall, but she brushed them aside. She slid into her desk chair and opened a history book. The first few seconds were the worst, as she re-read the same sentence over and over and over before it actually sunk in. Tears continued to blur her vision and she had to pause to wipe them. But soon, she was reading a whole paragraph without stopping to wipe her eyes, then a page. Then a chapter. She even managed to pick up her pencil and take a few minor notes. Then she was moving onto the assigned math problems. Then the literature, the Japanese, the English.

For a little while, she could forget. Lost in the world of new facts and ideas, she was able to pretend that everything was all right. She could pretend that things would be all right someday. She hoped her father was smiling right now. The thought actually made her smile a little bit, for real this time. There was a strange calm settling over her, and even though she still felt like crying...she felt...better.

_Huuuuh..._

The soft sound was like a breath being let out behind her. She turned the chair around so fast that it fell over, and she hit the ground with a painful _thwack! _Groaning, she pulled herself up onto her knees. There was nothing there. Of course there wasn't, she admonished herself. She was just imagining things.

But a flicker of motion made her look back at the mirror, and for just a brief second, she thought she saw something move across the shiny surface. Her shoulders tensed up, and she shrunk into a tiny ball. She huddled there for a moment, convinced that there were ghosts and that she was going to get attacked. But she calmed down quickly enough.

Still nervous, she decided to pull the drapes up to let the daylight in, and went to flick on the lights. Her face felt really icky, she thought to herself. She should go wash her face, if she was going to keep up this sudden streak of trying to heal. Yes, that was a good idea. Her father would be proud of her.

She opened her door and stepped out into the hallway. There was still a tray of food next to the door, but she still didn't feel quite up to eating. The hall was dark, which was odd. And where was her mother? She couldn't hear anything. She shrugged, a little nervously, and padded towards the bathroom. She'd just splash some water on her face, and go back to finish her homework. Right. And then maybe she'd talk to Karin, too. Maybe it would be good to talk to someone.

She flicked the bathroom light on.

And the world ended one more time.

"_O-okaa-san_?"

Her mother didn't respond. She lay absolutely still on the floor, so still that she might have been –

"Oh God," Kanika whispered. "Oh – I –"

She stumbled backwards from the bathroom, trying to process what she was seeing. Her mother was just – on the floor – why – she wasn't breathing –

A scream ripped from Kanika's throat, but her mother didn't even stir. Kanika fell back against the hallway wall and froze for a minute. Then she scrambled to her feet and bolted back to her room. She scrabbled for her phone, dropping it two times before she managed to get it in her shaking hands. Her fingers wouldn't respond, she couldn't even dial an ambulance – so she just hit redial.

Karin picked up halfway through the first ring.

"Hey, Kanika-chan! I was wondering when –"

"Ambulance!" Kanika practically shrieked. "Karin-san, please – call an ambulance – _okaa-san,_ she's – she's –"

The words wouldn't come out of her mouth; her brain still wouldn't let her say the words that meant what had happened.

"She's killed herself!"

Then the phone slipped out of her hands, and she dropped to the floor.

She remembered nothing after that.

When she woke up, Karin was leaning down over her. Brown eyes sparked worriedly, blond hair drifting lazily around.

"Oh, thank God," Karin breathed as Kanika came to. "I didn't know what to think – I got that call, and no one was in the house –"

Kanika shook her head, still dizzy. Everything was a blur; what had happened? Karin helped her sit up, supporting her.

"It's a good thing you reacted as quickly as you did," Karin said, leaning Kanika lean against her. "The ambulance got here in time; your mom's going to be okay."

Kanika's brow furrowed in confusion. Then it all came rushing back to her, and she felt like throwing up. Her fingers dug into Karin's arms, but to Karin's credit, she didn't even flinch.

"Oh, sh, sh," Karin said, hugged Kanika close. "It's okay. It's okay."

Kanika sobbed for a full minute, letting out all the terror and anger. Why? Why had her mother killed herself? Was Kanika not good enough to live for? It wasn't fair – it wasn't fair that she should be left all by herself in just a matter of days!

Karin rocked her back and forth a bit, saying nothing as Kanika cried herself out.

"Why?" she finally whispered. "Why did she...?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Karin said. "But she's going to be okay. She's at the hospital now."

"What?"

Kanika pushed back so that she could look directly up at Karin.

"She's...alive?"

"Yes, I said that," Karin said.

"But – but she wasn't breathing," Kanika said. "How is she...?"

Karin's brow furrowed.

"She was still breathing when I got here, sweetie," she said. "And the ambulance came just in time. They pumped her stomach; she's going to be all right."

Kanika's head spun. Her mother was still alive! It was a strange thing, but she couldn't decide if she was glad or angry beyond all words.

"I...I hate her," she said, shoulders shaking. "I hate her."

"Oh, Kanika-chan," Karin said, shaking her head. "No, don't say that. She's your mother."

"She tried to leave me! I hate her! I hate everything! I hate this world, I hate this life, and I don't think I want to live in it anymore!"

Kanika's voice rose to a hysterical pitch. She tried to wrench herself free of Karin's grasp, but Karin had a firm grip.

"Kanika, calm down," she said. "You have to breathe. You're going to have another attack."

"Good! I hope I die from it so I don't have to wake up in this world anymore!"

Her head was starting to spin. Her arms wouldn't respond anymore, and there were shivers running down her.

"Kanika, don't say that! If you die, a lot of people are going to hurt!"

Kanika shook her head, tears bubbling down her cheeks. She wanted to say that she didn't care, but she knew it was a lie, and she couldn't get the words out anyway. The next thing she knew, the buzzing, yanking feeling started all through her body. She screamed and flailed, trying to escape whatever was yanking on her from all directions.

"Kanika, sh, calm down, breathe!"

There were footsteps coming to the door. As Kanika's vision blurred in and out, she saw a paramedic bustling into the room. Kanika screamed again, and her vision completely blacked out. She could feel herself starting to lose control of her muscles, as they moved of their own accord. The buzzing in her head spread until it felt like it encompassed her whole body.

Then she blacked out again.

She seemed to do that a lot.

A/N: Sigh...Kanika, why are you so depressing? Don't worry, we'll be getting your annoyingly cheerful self back in just a little while. This section was edited severely from the original...I think I may have added too much angst. :/ But I felt I had to get in Kanika's head and show clearly how she felt after losing her father. I think I glazed too much over that in the original version, which is pretty inconsiderate of me. Losing a parent is a huge blow, and I can't expect her to bounce back as quickly as she did. Still, I hope I can get back to her usual self soon...


	7. Warmth That Shouldn't Be

_"Naaaaauniiiii!"_

_She flung her arms around the shadowy girl from behind. Her target jumped with surprise and dropped her book._

_"Loki!" the victim whined. "You made me lose my page!"_

_"Aw, come on, Nauni! You're always reading – come on, let's go play some archery or something!"_

_"But –"_

_She dragged on the shadowy girl's hand, yanking her away from the fallen book she was trying to retrieve._

_"No buts! Come on, let's do something active!"_

_The scene vanished in a rush of water that crashed over her head, and she couldn't see for the salt in her eyes. She screamed, but frothy salt water slammed into her open mouth, and she choked instead. She reached desperately through the unyielding sea, trying to find even the slightest hint of a head of blond hair – _

Cold wood and a sharp impact to her head thrust Rima out of the dreams. She lay still on the floor for a moment. Her head throbbed, and her limbs were tangled in her bed sheets. Again. Slowly, she tried to sit up, wincing. It took her almost a full minute to extricate herself from the bedding. She left it in a heap on the floor, too angry to bother picking it up.

Shower. She needed a shower.

The bathrooms of her apartment complex were a despicable place, like hell had decided to throw up its garbage into a single spot. The porcelain was stained gray, gunk filled the spaces in between the tiles, and good luck to the one who wanted warm water. Oh, spiders and centipedes? Yeah, seeing two was a slow day. There wasn't even a real bathtub, so Rima was forced to make do with an occasional shower. Oh, and did she mention that it cost 300 yen per shower?

She dunked her head under the freezing cold water and let it filter around her hair. Despite the overall suckiness of the place, the water was good for waking her up. And dispelling the nightmares, too. She came out of the bowels of hell's dumpster feeling refreshed in spite of it. Now all she needed was coffee. Maybe a smoke.

Her hair still wet, she stepped out into the annoyingly cheerful morning. Her wallet felt happily thick in her pocket – her pay check had come in about three days ago. So now she could finally do some grocery shopping.

She made a beeline for her favorite coffee shop. It was a pretty day, she grudgingly admitted. The sky was blue, the trees were budding, and the breeze was nice and cool. The spring morning had a crisp, new feeling to it. Rima even starting humming for a minute, but stopped herself as soon as she realized she was doing it.

She pushed through the glass door of the coffee shop, and a soft bell jingled somewhere within the store. Ikkaku Kuwabara stood behind the counter, wiping it down with a towel. The dark haired boy glanced up at the bell. He sent a smile towards Rima. She returned it with a roll of her eyes.

"The usual?"

"Yeah," Rima said. She came to lean against the counter and glanced up at the menu. "Actually, you know what? Scratch that. I'll have a chocolate milkshake."

"At eight in the morning?"

"I don't tell you how to live your life."

Ikkaku laughed. With a practiced hand, he flipped a cup off the stack and under the machine. A soft humming filled the otherwise quiet room as the machine filled the cup with thick, frozen chocolately goodness.

"Here you are. Six hundred yen."

Rima passed the money over with reluctance and starting sucking at the milkshake. It was too frozen, so she resorted to spinning her straw around it to loosen it up.

"You're up early this morning," Ikkaku observed.

"What about it?"

"Just an observation. You know, there are stools. And chairs."

"I prefer standing, thanks."

Finally, cold ice cream started to come through the straw. She drank it slowly, savoring the cold deliciousness.

"So, hey, I heard some interesting news about that game you like playing. Magic, or something?"

"Duel Monsters. You weren't even close. And I don't _like_ playing it; it's my _job_."

Ikkaku just grinned at her, rather moronically in her opinion.

"Okay, spill it, what's this 'interesting news'?"

"I heard that a certain world champion lost his throne the other day."

Rima froze in mid-sip. She put her cup down slowly. Then she stared at Ikkaku, trying to gauge what she was actually hearing.

"Seto Kaiba...lost?" she said slowly.

"Wow," Ikkaku said, surprised. "You're more surprised than I thought you'd be."

"Holy shit," Rima said. "Seto Kaiba lost. Who'd he lose to?"

"Dunno. Some kid. Yu...Yuki? I don't remember."

Rima stared at her milkshake, trying to comprehend. The world champion, Seto Kaiba, had lost to some unknown? How was that even possible? Seto Kaiba was top of the list in terms of rare cards – literally, on top of the Ghoul's list of highest ranking rare cards. He owned three out of four of the rarest Duel Monster cards known: the Blue Eyes White Dragon. How in the name of all that was good and holy had he lost with those powerhouses in his deck?

This new kid...whoever he was...had better watch out. Marik would probably be trying to recruit him before too long. Huh. She'd like to meet this kid.

"Huh, that got you tongue-tied," Ikkaku said. "That's a first."

"Shove it," Rima muttered. "All right, whatever, it surprised me, okay?"

She lingered by the counter for a little while longer. Then she pushed away.

"I'll catch you later, Kuwabara."

"See ya."

She pushed out into the open air, her head still spinning. Seto Kaiba lost to an unknown. Geez. Still sipping at her milkshake, she wandered toward the park. Maybe she could find another duelist that knew more about the mystery kid.

She found duelists, all right – but she wasn't expecting to see _him_ again.

At first, she wasn't sure if it was him. But she recognized the golden armbands and the tanned hands; and she didn't know any other Ghouls around here that wore the cloak on a regular basis. It was definitely the guy from a few days ago – Namu, or something.

He sat at a picnic table, facing another man on the other side. His opponent looked comically out of place, a thickly muscled man in a torn tank top with a greased back hairstyle and a cigar clamped in his mouth. He barely seemed to fit on the picnic bench. Rima would have laughed if he didn't look so intimidating. Namu, however, seemed unperturbed. He was small and slight in front of the man, but he shuffled his deck with a quick, precise hand. His opponent shuffled his deck with an angry crack, and Rima felt bad for his cards. They wouldn't last long like that.

She considered wandering off to find someone else, but they were starting to draw their cards and her interest was piqued. This was obviously official Ghoul business, considering the cloak. She wondered why she hadn't been assigned to it, seeing as this was her area. It might be interesting to see how this Namu guy dueled.

"I summon Drillago in attack mode, and two cards face down," the big guy said, grinning broadly. "You're outta luck now, punk."

"Gravekeeper's Curse. Defense mode," Namu said, ignoring his opponent's comment. "You take five hundred points in damage from its effect."

"Whatever. It's only got eight hundred defense points."

"And two cards face down. Turn end."

Rima bit her tongue. Was he trying to trick the guy into a trap with such a low defense monster, or had he been relying on its special ability to inflict damage first turn?

"Well, now I'll summon Skull Mariner in attack mode, and kill your Gravekeeper's Curse!"

Namu silently put his card in the Graveyard – his face downs unactivated.

"My turn," he said.

He took one look at his card, and Rima thought she caught a quick smile. He added the card to his hand and flipped over one of his face downs.

"Activate spell: Dark Hole. All your monsters are destroyed."

The man gave him a sour look and swept his monsters off the table.

"Now I activate my other face down, Foolish Burial. I add a monster from my deck to my Graveyard."

He drew a card from his deck, then took another two cards from his hand.

"Then I activate Monster Reborn to bring back the Gravekeeper's Visionary and activate Yami to increase its attack by two hundred. Not only that, it gains another two hundred attack points from the Gravekeeper's Curse in the Graveyard."

The man's mouth dropped.

"Twenty four hundred attack points? I don't – I don't have anything in my deck that can beat that!"

"Well. Too bad for you."

The duel vanished by in an instant, and Rima found her own mouth dropping.

"No way!" the man said, standing up and nearly knocking all the cards off the table. "You must have cheated! No one's beat me before!"

"At the risk of sounding cliché, there's a first time for everything," Namu said dryly. "Now, I believe you promised me some important information."

The man slammed his hand down on the table.

"I ain't telling you nothing," he said. "Little punk!"

"Well that's good: I would much rather you tell me _something _rather than nothing."

He stood up. For some reason, the whole world seemed to get a little bit colder. Even though Namu was much, much shorter than his opponent, he had suddenly become...more intimidating.

"Unless you'd prefer I used force...?"

They stared each other down for a long moment, and even though the man was almost two heads taller than Namu, Rima would have put money on Namu – though she couldn't quite explain why. Finally, the tall man dropped his eyes.

"Fine, kid," he said. "Not that I'm scared of you, hear me?"

Namu did not speak. The man pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and held it out. Namu's bronzed arm appeared from under his cloak and took it, hiding it away beneath the folds.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Namu said dryly.

The man spat on the ground and walked away without another word. It looked as though Namu was about to leave as well, scooping his cards up from the table. Then he appeared to look in her direction and froze.

Rima waved and took another sip of her milkshake.

"Hey. What's up?"

"Were you watching that?"

"Mm-hm. You're quite the duelist."

"Not really."

Rima grinned.

"You sure? Cause then I'd be happy to take you on – so long as you don't mind losing."

He seemed surprised by the offer.

"You...want to duel? With me? Why?"

Rime raised her eyebrow at him.

"Why else do people duel? For fun, stupid. Is that a no, then?"

He hesitated.

"Well, I don't have anything else to do," he said.

Rima grinned and plopped down on the other side of the picnic table.

"Prepare to get creamed," she said, smacking her deck down on the table.

"You wish," Namu muttered, shuffling his deck.

_Some hours later_

"No way! You've got to be kidding me!"

Rima's cards fell from her fingers as she stared at Namu's still cowled face.

"This is the fourth time in a row that you beat me! I've never been _that _pathetic before!"

"I told you so," Namu said, shrugging. "But you insisted that we play again after the first one."

"Geez," Rima said.

But she smiled broadly.

"Why are you smiling? You lost four times."

"So? It was still fun, right?"

Namu didn't answer.

"What, you've never had fun playing this game before? It's just all business to you?"

"For the most part."

"Huh. That's kind of sad. No offense."

She sipped at her milkshake again and realized that it was empty. Sighing, she threw the cup towards a garbage can two feet away.

"So why are you still wearing that cloak? Isn't it hard for you to see?"

"Not really."

"What, did I try to kill you once or something and you don't want to show your face?"

"No!" Namu said, a little flustered. "I just wear it. That's it."

"Huh. Well, whatever ya feel like doing."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then, almost as an afterthought, Namu reached up and pushed his hood off, giving Rima her first look at his face. His platinum blond hair was almost white. It should have looked strange against his tanned, Egyptian skin, yet it seemed to work for him. His purple eyes were framed with thick, dark eyelashes, and they glinted with a powerful edge. Rima could already see in his eyes that he was someone that would be difficult to cross and get away with it.

She didn't say anything about his suddenly changing his mind about the cloak. Instead, she blew out once, then scooped up her cards.

"That was fun," she said. "I guess I'll see you around. You'll have to duel me again sometime."

"I'll only beat you again."

"That's what you think."

Rima shoved her deck into her back pocket and half turned when Namu spoke again.

"Rima-san. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

Namu blinked, looking confused.

"Means go ahead."

"Oh. I was just wondering what that thing you were drinking this whole time was. It looked like a drink, but it was thick."

Rima turned completely to face him, staring.

"You've...never...had a milkshake before?"

"A what?"

Rima stared at him for another long moment. Namu shifted uncomfortably.

"What?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean you don't know what a milkshake is?" Rima said, throwing her hands in the air.

"I just asked a simple question – Hey! What are you doing?"

Rima had grabbed Namu's arm and proceeded to drag him towards the other side of the park.

"If you've never had a milkshake, then you really haven't lived yet," Rima said. "Come on – I'm gonna show you the best place in town to get milkshakes!"

"Hey! Rima! Let go!"

Ikkaku looked up, surprised, as Rima came through the door dragging Namu behind her.

"Yo, Rima-san," Ikkaku said. "Coming in again? I guess the milkshake wasn't enough, huh?"

"Nah, that's not it," Rima said.

"Would you please let go?" Namu said, shrugging off her grip.

Ikkaku glanced at Rima, then Namu, then Rima again. A slow smile crossed his face, and Rima groaned mentally. Maybe she should have gone someplace else.

"Wow, Rima-san," Ikkaku said, sending her a grin. "Nice going."

"Shut up and stop jumping to conclusions. I need a chocolate milkshake and a thing of fries."

"What size?"

"Large."

"Coming right up."

Ikkaku sent her another fluttery eyed grin and disappeared into the back room. Rima rolled her eyes.

"Sorry about him. He's a world champion at being obnoxious."

"You didn't have to drag me here," Namu said, scowling. "What's the big idea?"

"Hey, be nice," Rima said. "I'm introducing ya to milkshakes, and trust me, you'll thank me."

Ikkaku returned with the milkshake and fries. Rima reluctantly passed him the correct yen. Then she snagged her fries, practically threw the milkshake at Namu, and herded the protesting Ghoul int a booth.

"I have places to be," he said, scowling even deeper.

"Just try the milkshake."

Namu glared at her. But he checked the cup in front of him anyhow. He gripped it, and let go almost immediately, eyes wide.

"It's cold," he said.

"Yeah, no need to make it into a newsflash."

Rima popped a fry into her mouth. Tentatively, the bronze-skinned boy tested it through the straw. After holding it in his mouth for a moment, he swallowed, and his eyes widened.

"Wow," he said. He took another sip. "This is...really good."

"I told you so," Rima said.

Namu rolled his eyes at her and sipped at the milkshake again. Rima shoved a few more fries into her mouth, and then paused. It suddenly hit her that she was sitting in White Creamery with someone else. Ikkaku didn't count. She had never been in here with someone else, much less brought someone here with her.

She glanced across the table at Namu, who seemed utterly fascinated by the cold, thick drink in front of him. Rima swallowed her fries. Huh. She was sitting in a restaurant with someone else. She didn't dislike the sensations it created. Maybe she had been more lonely than she had cared to admit.

"It's so cold," Namu said, sounding strangely amazed, like a child. "How do they keep it cold?"

"Uh, duh? A freezer."

"Like with ice?"

"Yeah."

"That's weird."

"Speak for yourself," Rima said. "You're pretty weird yourself. You'd never even heard of a milkshake before?"

Namu shrugged noncommittally.

"Geez! What, do you live under a rock?"

Something dark sparked in Namu's eyes, and an ominous shadow fell over the mood. Rima hesitated. Had she said something wrong? She didn't like the way the silence was hanging heavy over them like this. It was making her uncomfortable. And when things made her uncomfortable, she got irritated.

She rolled her eyes at Namu.

"Okay, whatever," she said. "Didn't mean to insult you. But there's no reason to be so sensitive."

Namu startled up, as though he had been lost in thought. The terrible, hard edge to his eyes was gone, and the mood lightened.

"Oh, sorry. No, it's fine, you didn't insult me. Just…never mind."

Rima shrugged. She finished her fries.

"Whatever," she said. "I'd better get home, anyway. It's starting to get late."

Namu blinked, surprised, and glanced out through the wide windows to the clock tower in the square.

"You're right," he said, disbelieving. "I can't believe time went so quickly."

Rima shrugged, and got up from the booth. She tossed her fry basket into a trash bin.

"Well, I'll see ya," she said.

"Rima-san?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"Would you…I mean…"

"Spit it out already."

Namu shook his head, and straightened.

"Want to play Duel Monsters again tomorrow?"

Rima blinked. A surprising blend of excitement and interest started in her chest. How long had it been since she had hung out with someone? Since she had _wanted_ to hang out with someone? Way too long, it felt like.

"Sure," she said. "After all, you owe me a milkshake. I don't buy things for people for free, you hear?"

It took a moment, but Namu smiled. It was possibly the first smile Rima had seen on his face ever.

"Sure," he said. "So, I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow I'll beat you," Rima said. "You'd better believe it!"

"Not if I can help it!"

They smirked at each other, which quickly dissolved into a real grin. Namu left first, pushing through the glass doors of the coffee shop. She, too, headed for the door.

"He's cute, Rima!" Ikkaku called after her.

"Bite your tongue off."

Ikkaku laughed. She flipped him off as she disappeared through the door, but that only made him laugh harder.

She walked down the sidewalk, bathed in the sunset rays and ignoring the faceless people bustling around on either side of her. It had been a pretty good day, if she said so herself. In fact, she couldn't believe what a good mood she was in right now. She was actually walking with a bounce in her step, and it was more difficult than ever to stop herself from humming. It was a weird feeling, having plans for the next day. She didn't dislike it.

She was too busy thinking that she didn't notice the tall man standing still in the sidewalk ahead of her. Too late, she realized she was about to run into him. Rima smacked right into the man, tumbling back onto her butt.

"Hey!" she said, leaping back to her feet. "Watch where yer going!"

But then she stopped, froze up. Something about this guy...terrified her, in a way she couldn't explain. He loomed a head taller than her, clothed in a strange white robe and turban. His skin was burnished bronze – like Namu's. Hoop earrings gleamed in the setting sun. Orange eyes stared impassively down at her. But somehow, what frightened Rima the most was his necklace: pure gold – cross shaped with a loop at the top. Almost like a key.

"Who – who are you?" she said.

"I am here to warn you, Mason Rima," he said.

His Japanese was tinged with an accent Rima couldn't place. The voice sent a shudder down her arms – it was completely impassive. Yet charged with power.

"How do you know my name?" she said, her good feeling dissolving. No one, or at least, practically no one, knew her last name. It was that more than anything that frightened her: the fact that he knew her full name.

"That is unimportant," he said. "You are meddling in affairs that you do not understand. Stay out of them."

"Hey," she said. She felt suddenly irritated. How could this freak know her name? And then he had gall to frighten her with his weirdness? "Even if I knew what 'affairs' you were talking about, you have no right to tell me what to do."

"The company you keep is...inadvisable," he said. "I would suggest you keep your distance."

"Is this about Namu?" Rima said. "You guys look like you're from the same place."

"Namu? Is that the name he gave you?"

The man sounded somewhat amused. Rima tensed up. This guy knew more than he was telling – a lot more.

"You don't have any right to tell me who to hang out with," Rima said. "So stop being a creepy stalker and get away from me."

His orange eyes flashed with something Rima couldn't understand. Something that terrified her even more.

"So be it," he said. "But you will come to regret it."

He bowed his head and walked around her. Rima couldn't move as he swished past her. When she finally whipped around, planning to send a nasty gesture his way, he had completely vanished.


	8. Something Precious Always Remains

_She hugged herself, trying to still the tears. The door opened, and she whipped around. A tall, deeply tanned boy stood in the entrance, his spiky hair dark and his eyes a burning red, like embers coming to life._

_"Is she...?" she asked._

_The boy bowed his head respectfully._

_"She's coming to, mistress. Auset will not leave her side until she is fully recovered."_

_She nodded, biting her lip. She still didn't feel better at all._

The scene dissolved.

_She reached up with tiny, pudgy fingers. A blurred face smiled down at her, singing softly in a language that she barely understood. Her tiny fingers twined into the hair of the woman that held her. It was soft. The song was nice. She fell asleep in the rocking arms._

It changed again.

_People stood all around her. They were all very tall. She stared at them. They weren't anyone that she knew: not mom, or dad, or anyone. But they were arguing, and she didn't like it._

_"Why is this a problem? Obviously, this new soul isn't pushing Naunet's out," a boy with long white hair said._

_"Of course this is a problem! What if it jeopardizes the Cycle?" a spiky haired man said. "Two souls in one body is dangerous in any situation!"_

_"It's not our fault that she developed her own," a red head said, matter-of-factly. "I mean, it's kind of to be expected, right?"_

_"To be expected? We were supposed to expect that this thing would develop its own soul?"_

_"Yomi, keep your voice down," the woman beside him said. "You're scaring her."_

_Burning red eyes flashed down on her with barely constrained hatred. She tried to curl up in on herself, trying to escape those scary eyes._

_"Oh, sh, it's okay," a girl's voice said._

_She looked up into soft yellow eyes. Even though they were a scary color, like a snake, the face they belonged to was smiling cheerfully._

_"Yomi, look, you scared her," the yellow eyed girl admonished. "It's okay. He's just a grumpy pants."_

_The yellow eyed girl patted her on the shoulder. She felt a little safer._

_"Where's...where's my momma and daddy?" she whispered._

_All of the arguments fell silent. It was a long time before anyone answered. Finally, the tall woman knelt down to meet the little girl's eyes. Liquid silver looked deep into her, soft and kind._

_"They will be here soon," she said. "We're here to protect you until then."_

_"Protect me from what?" the little girl said._

_The woman rested her hand on the girl's head, and she ducked her head. But the hand was gentle, stroking her hair and making her feel a little sleepy._

_"From everything," the woman whispered._

The scene whooshed away like smoke in water.

_She ran barefoot across hot stones._

_"Wait for me!" she shouted to the laughing boy ahead of her. "Wait for me!"_

_The boy darted around a corner and she ran after him with a laugh. But then she heard him yell something, and harsh tones answered it. She came around the corner and almost screamed. Bare-chested men with the headdress of a guard held her friend by his arms._

_"Let go of me! I haven't done anything!"_

_"We saw you take that fruit," one man spat. "Filthy little thief."_

_The other man looked up at saw her._

_"There's the other one," he said. "Get her."_

_Her friend struggled for freedom, and the other man came towards her. Terror exploded in her chest. She could do nothing but flee, and she did so, vanishing into the market. She could hear her friend shouting after her, but she did not stop until she was gone._

_Then she cried, because she had run away, and she hadn't been able to help her friend._

This scene, too, disappeared, but this time, it seemed to melt into the next.

_She stood on the side of the street, clutching the hand of the woman beside her. The crowds were murmuring all around them. It was too hot with all the bodies around her, and the desert sun beating down at mid-morning._

_"Auset," she whispered. "What's going on?"_

_The woman looked down at her, silver eyes as placid as always._

_"It is a royal entourage," she said._

_"What's an en-to-rauje?"_

_"A parade, I suppose."_

_"Oh."_

_She tried to see over the crowds, but everyone was so much taller than her._

_"Having trouble seeing?"_

_Someone scooped her up from behind and placed her on his shoulders. She yelped and giggled at her sudden flight. Her little fingers dug into spiky black hair, and the man beneath her laughed softly._

_"Careful," he said. "You'll pull my hair out."_

_She giggled and hugged his head from behind. He looked back at her with a slight smile, his red eyes soft and kind._

_From her new height, she could see the servants bearing the seats of the royals. She knew the leader instantly._

_He was a tall, gray-bearded man with a regal bearing, sitting still and assured. The high priests followed him, but her little eyes barely registered all of the faces. Instead, she looked wide-eyed at the boy who sat beside the king._

_He sat on his moving seat awkwardly. He kept glancing both ways at everyone staring, and a faint blush crossed his tanned skin. His foot tapped quickly, and he kept moving his shoulders and opening and closing his hands. Every now and then, he would run a hand through his spiky hair, or fiddle with his golden bangs. The king nudged him slightly, and he blushed a little harder. But he stayed still this time. His eyes still flicked around to see everyone. As he got closer, she could see that his eyes were a deep red._

_"Yomi," she said, fidgeting on his shoulders. "He has eyes like you."_

_Yomi had gone very still beneath her._

_"Indeed," he said softly. "Indeed he does..."_

The desert sun grew colder, and the scene froze and shattered.

_She stood in a dark room made all of black marble. An altar stood in front of her. On that altar rested a wicked looking blade. Her heart fluttered fearfully just from the sight of that blade._

_A hand touched her shoulder, and she was looking into the silver eyes of the woman._

_"Kanika," she whispered. "Are you ready?"_

_Kanika shook her head._

_"I'm never going to be ready, Auset," she said through a throat thick with tears. "But I have to."_

_She gripped the hilt of the blade and nearly broke._

_"This isn't fair," she whispered._

_"It's never fair," Yomi said beside her, also gripping her shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll be with you."_

_"Promise?"_

_"Until the end," he affirmed._

_She swallowed. In tight, trembling hands, she held the blade out before her._

_But it did not reach her chest. Instead, pain exploded in her side, and she fell like a stone. Yomi whipped around, yelling with rage and hatred. Auset was pulling her up, rolling her over into her arms. Her eyes were wide and filled with fear – it was an emotion she had never seen in Auset before, and she didn't like it._

_She couldn't talk; there was something warm and sticky in her mouth. Auset was crying. Her arms trembled beneath Kanika, and Kanika's heart broke._

_It's okay, she wanted to say, but couldn't. It's – it's okay..._

_Everything faded, Auset, the room, the pain, everything. She floated in darkness. For some reason, tears were rolling down her cheeks._

_Then a dark laughed echoed around her. She tried to jolt up and escape, but she could not. She could do nothing as the laugh continued to roll over her, threatening to swallow her up – a scream ripped from her throat –_

"Kanika! Kanika!"

_The darkness started to rip apart. Blurred streaks of white started to appear in its place. Her eyes half opened, and closed again._

"Kanika, you have to wake up!"

_The dream was not ready to let go of her. The laugh was not ready to stop her torment. With a cry, she ripped free of the darkness –_

The last thing she saw before she came completely awake was a face. A dark, malicious grin, and a pair of violet eyes...

Then she was awake. She stared up at a white ceiling. Was this her bedroom? She didn't think so. A soft sob came from the side of bed, and she turned to identify it.

Karin sat in a chair beside her, her forehead resting on her folded hands. Her shoulders shook slightly.

"K...Karin?"

Karin's head flew up.

"Kanika!" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Oh thank God, you're all right."

Kanika head buzzed, and she shook it a little to clear it.

"Where am I?"

"The hospital. You blacked out at home after...after you found your mom."

The memories trickled back. Instantly, the tears pricked at Kanika's eyes.

"Oh...right."

She could not stop the tears from running down her cheeks.

"Oh, sh, sh," Karin said, stroking her hair. "It's all right. Your mom's going to be okay, and you are too."

Kanika hiccuped from the tears.

"Karin," she whispered. "I've been dreaming again."

Karin blinked, obviously not understanding. Kanika pushed on.

"I used to have these dreams, all the time, when I was little," Kanika said. "They would always come...before my attacks got really bad."

Now Karin looked concerned.

"Oh, no, are you feeling all right? Do you need me to call a doctor?"

Kanika shook her head wildly.

"No, no, listen," Kanika pleaded. "The dreams...they're clearer. And I think..."

She couldn't say it. Karin waited, concern written all over her face. Kanika swallowed, trying to force the words out.

"I think," she said, "they are – were – real. Karin...I think my dreams are real!"


	9. Dive

It was a beautiful morning. And that was possibly the weirdest thing Rima had ever thought to herself first thing in the day.

For the first time in who knows how long, she hadn't had a single nightmare the night before. She was even humming as she got dressed, although she nipped that in the bud early. She said a hurried goodbye to Reiko's portrait, grabbing her cards as she streaked out of the apartment. It was indeed a beautiful morning, just the right temperature with a soft breeze, and not a cloud in sight. But it was like that a lot in Nuribara. Rima was just actually enjoying it for once.

She stopped by White Creamery to get herself a coffee. She didn't plan on staying long – she sure didn't need Ikkaku teasing her anymore about Namu – but the look on Ikkaku's face made her pause.

"What's up?" she said. "Coffee machine break down, or something?"

Ikkaku shook his head slowly. He started to speak, paused, and then turned to start making the coffee. That was weird. That kid always talked about something or another. He was really quiet for something reason. Rima leaned against the counter, somewhat impatiently. She had re-evaluated her deck last night, and she thought she might be able to beat Namu today if she drew her cards right.

"Hey, Rima," Ikkaku said, still facing the coffee machine.

"Hm?" Rima said, still caught in her thoughts.

"Do you know any American guys?"

"What?"

The question was startling, and it drew her from her thoughts in a flash.

"American guys? No, I don't think so. Not personally, anyway."

"What about, like, Spain or something?"

"Definitely not. Why?"

Ikkaku turned and passed her the coffee. She slid the yen towards him, but he didn't take it right away.

"Some guys were in here really early, like as soon as the place opened," he said, looking deadly serious. It was a strange expression for him. "They were asking about you."

"Huh? Me? By name?"

"Yeah, it was really weird. One of 'em was definitely American, but the other didn't seem to speak Japanese. He was speaking Spanish or something like that."

"They say their names?"

"No. But they were both wearing these weird purple cloaks."

Rima hesitated in the middle of taking a sip of coffee. She set the cup down slowly.

"Cloaks? They have the hoods up?"

"No."

So she couldn't ask him if he'd seen the eye mark that would confirm them as Ghouls. But, still, not many other organizations were so blatant. They had to be Ghouls. Why were they looking for her? They couldn't be messengers, because those people just showed up at her apartment. They couldn't be really high-ranked Ghouls, because then they would know all of the members and where they lived, and they wouldn't bother asking around.

So why were foreign Ghouls looking for her?

Something didn't sit right in her stomach.

"Thanks for the tip," she said. "Out of curiosity, what did you tell them?"

"Said I'd never heard of you before."

Rima glanced up at him. Come to think of it, she hadn't really thought too much of Ikkaku. He had annoyed her the first time they had met, being so talkative and all. The dark haired boy had become a part of her life without her even realizing it. Maybe she had had a friend without knowing it.

"Thanks, Kuwabara," she said, finally. She gave him a half-smile, not really sure what else she could do. "I owe you one."

Ikkaku grinned broadly at her, more like his usual stupid self.

"I'll hold you to that. Keep an eye out, okay?"

"I will."

"Should I call the police anyway?"

"Nah, don't bother. These guys probably won't have issues with law."

She took another sip of coffee, and then after one more awkward pause, nodded at Ikkaku and returned back to the street. She wandered slowly towards the park, feeling all of a sudden...uneasy. Movements in the corner of her eye made her jump. She almost spilled hot coffee on herself twice. But she didn't see any sign of the two Ghouls. Not even Namu.

She hesitated at the beginning of the park, glancing both ways and all around her. Better safe than sorry. Maybe she should have gone back to the apartment to grab her gun.

"Rima-san? Is something wrong?"

Rima jumped a foot in the air. Her coffee went all over the sidewalk as she whipped around, her shock instantly replaced with anger at the stupid Ghouls for putting her on edge –

But it was only Namu, looking curiously at her. His sharp violet eyes seemed to take in everything in an instant, like she couldn't hide anything from him.

"What put you so on edge?" he asked.

Rima scowled at the lost coffee on the sidewalk, and then at Namu for startling her.

"Nothing. Never mind, I'm just being stupid," she said.

"That didn't look like nothing."

Rima shrugged. Namu watched her for a long minute. Rima tried to hold his gaze but failed miserably – it was just too sharp and perceptive.

"Okay, okay, the guy at the coffee shop told me some Ghouls came in asking for me. That's all."

"Ghouls? But this area is your assignment. No one else should be here."

"'Cept you."

"Oh," Namu said, blinking as though he had forgotten something. "Right. And me."

Rima shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. I guess I just got a little paranoid."

Then she paused.

"Hey, I think this is the first time I've seen you without the Ghoul cloak."

Instead of the cloak, Namu was dressed in a red tank top and brown cargo pants. He still wore the golden bands around his arms, and his golden earrings, but it was still a strange look for him. For some reason, she hadn't imagined him capable of wearing anything else, or at least, anything so normal.

"Oh, right," Namu said. "Well, I'm not on official business today. No need to draw unnecessary attention."

"You're telling me," Rima said with a grin. "Seriously, those cloaks are crazy. It's like we're in some kind of cult or something."

Namu looked away at that, and Rima realized that somehow she had said something wrong again. But she didn't have the patience for Namu's weird temper, so she decided to change the subject.

"So are we gonna duel or what? Cause I think I can beat you this time –"

She froze mid-sentence. There across the street – it was that guy in the white cloak and turban again. Passive orange eyes met hers for a brief moment. And then he was just gone, so fast that she might have imagined it – but people don't just imagine things like that out of nowhere.

"Rima-san?"

Namu glanced over his shoulder to where Rima was staring, and then back to her. But instead of questioning her, his violet eyes snapped upward. Rima followed his gaze this time.

A pair of Ghouls stood some ways into the park. Their hoods were drawn up, but even in their cloaks it was easy to see that they were men of considerable height and breadth. They might have been talking to each other because they were faced towards each other, but Rima was too far away to hear anything.

She licked her suddenly dry lips.

"Well, Ikakku was right about at least half of it. There are Ghouls here."

"But why?" Namu said, his eyes suddenly flashing.

"Don't know. Honestly, now that I see 'em, I don't care anymore."

There was a strange sense of relief in Rima's stomach. Now that the Ghouls were real and in front of her, she didn't feel so nervous. The ghost wasn't just left to her imagination now.

"Maybe I should just go see what they want," she said. "Get it over with. They'll probably try and track me down, anyway."

She took a step onto the path. Namu's hand shot out and grabbed her shoulder. His grip was tight, and it made her wince. She glared back at him. With a jerk, she shrugged his hand off.

"What?" she snapped.

"Don't," Namu said. "I have a bad feeling about this. These Ghouls aren't supposed to be here."

"How would we know? Marik's the only one that knows everything. Maybe he sent 'em for some reason."

"But Rima-san, _I_ –"

He stopped in midsentence. A frustrated look crossed his face. He opened and closed his mouth several times as though trying to decide what to say. Finally, he just shook his head.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm coming with you."

"Suit yourself," Rima said with a shrug. Although, she couldn't deny the relief that flooded through her when he said that. No matter her bravado, she didn't fancy taking two six foot tall men by herself, without a weapon.

She hesitated only a brief moment longer. Then she set off down the path, Namu at her side. He walked stiffly, his fists clenched. His eyes were sharp and hard, focused. Rima hated to admit it, but she felt a lot better with him here. He seemed a lot stronger and in command than even the big men they were approaching.

The first man glanced up at their approach. He had a square-ish face, with crew cut brown hair and blue eyes. The second man followed his partner's gaze: this one was slightly smaller and thinner, with a more rounded face, dark hair, and bushy eyebrows.

"What do you want?" the crew cut man growled.

"I saw a couple of Ghouls in the park and wanted to know what they were up to," Rima said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Both paused, and exchanged glances.

"I'm the Ghoul in residence here," Rima said, taking advantage of the pause. "Name's Rima. And you two?"

Crew Cut considered her for a moment. It was a dark, measuring glance, and it sent an unwilling shudder down Rima's back.

"Matthew Safroer," he said finally. Rima forgot the foreign name almost instantly. "And this is Marcus Santiago."

Bushy Eyebrows stared at her silently, dark eyes glittering in a way that scared her more than Crew Cut's size did. His eyes flicked to Namu at the same time as Crew Cut's.

"And your friend?" Crew Cut asked.

"Namu," Namu said smoothly. There was a crackle of warning in his voice, but Crew Cut didn't seem to notice it.

"So, what're ya doing in my neck of the woods?" Rima asked with an air of disinterest.

"We were looking for you, actually?"

"Oh yeah? Why?"

Crew Cut looked down his nose at Namu. Rima shrugged.

"He's a Ghoul, too, so don't be shy."

"No one else is supposed to be privy to this conversation."

"That's a damn shame. I don't think Namu's leaving any time soon."

Namu folded his arms as if to make a point. Crew Cut shrugged.

"Fine. Then here's your message."

Suddenly he stepped way too close. Rima tried to move back in surprise, but the next thing she knew was a cold gun barrel pressing into her stomach. She froze as Crew Cut blew hot breath into her ear.

"I'm putting a note in your front pocket. Tell your friend, and I'll blow his brains out. Bring him with to the rendezvous point, and I'll blow his brains out. Are we clear?"

It took Rima a precious second to regain her composure and stop thinking about the gun in her stomach. She swallowed through a suddenly dry throat.

"Yeah," she said. "Clear."

She felt the crackle of paper slipping into her front pocket. Then the man was moving away, the gun vanishing into his cloak so quickly she couldn't decide if it had been there at all.

"Have a good day," Crew Cut said with a curt nod.

He said something to Bushy Eyebrows in another language, Spanish, maybe, and then both left in a flicker of their purple cloaks. It took Rima a moment to catch her breath. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding in her stomach.

"Damn," she whispered.

"Rima-san! Are you all right? What did he say to you?"

Rima shook herself out of it and looked up at Namu.

_I'll blow his brains out._

Rima stared at Namu, looking down at her with sharp, violet eyes. She looked down the path where the backs of the Ghouls were disappearing. She looked back up at Namu. A pit of deep, cold, anger hovered somewhere inside him. She wasn't even sure if it had anything to do with her or the situation. In fact, it probably didn't. But there was something about that look that told her: gun or no gun, that Ghoul did not stand a chance against Namu.

Still, she didn't feel safe telling him about it.

Namu broke the silence first.

"I saw the gun," he said finally, with a hint of venom in his tone. "Fool. He thought he was being sneaky."

Rima swallowed and forced a grin.

"Well, it sure surprised me."

"What did he put in your pocket?"

"Huh?"

"Don't try to protect me, Rima-san. There's not point. What did he put in your pocket?"

Rima shook her head, amazed.

"I wasn't trying to protect ya. I was just surprised you had seen that happen. I though the cloak was supposed to hide that."

"It was supposed to hide the gun, too," Namu said dryly.

Rima fished the note out of her pocket. She skimmed the contents.

"I'm supposed to meet them at...the – the harbor," she said, her voice cracking a little. She cursed herself for it. "At sunset two days from now."

"You're not going."

Rima looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"Who died and made you god?"

"You're not going," Namu said firmly.

"The note says that if I don't, Marik'll use that psychic kill thing on me."

"That's a lie."

Rima grinned, the first real grin since this whole mess had started.

"Well, there's something we agree on. I don't think Marik can psychic kill either."

Namu's reciprocating grin was somewhat muted for some reason. Rima looked back down at the note.

"I don't know. I wonder what they want."

"Nothing good."

"Yeah, but still."

She looked down at the note again, tongue out slightly in consideration. When she looked up again, there was a strange emotion in Namu's eyes. Something almost like...concern, or even nervousness.

"Rima-san...promise me you're not going to go."

Rima grinned, hoping that it looked real enough.

"Of course I'm not gonna go! What, you think I'm stupid? No way, I'm not going."

Namu's expression relaxed.

"Good."

But when he turned away, Rima's smile fell. She shoved the note back into her pocket. She hadn't actually told Namu the whole story. The note also said if she didn't show up...

They'd go after "the liar at White Creamery."

Rima might not be worried about Namu. But if those freaks went after Ikkaku...the kid wouldn't stand a chance. She shook her head to herself. Well, she'd better make sure her gun was loaded, because tomorrow looked like a lot of fun.


	10. All the King's Treasures

Coming back to school was a quiet affair. It was obvious that the teacher had told the class what had happened, because no one really seemed to know how to react to Kanika's arrival. Some students gave her fleeting looks and then looked quickly downwards. Others were kind enough to murmur how sorry they were. Kanika received the whispers and the looks with a quiet nod and sometimes a half-smile, but she wasn't really sure how to respond, either.

She threw herself into her morning classes. The teacher looked surprised to see her hand in the air every single time he asked a question, but he seemed to understand. This was the only way she could cope. Thinking about nothing other than school was the only way for her to survive.

She dreaded the upcoming lunch hour. Without classwork to distract her, she wasn't sure how she would make it. Not to mention, she didn't have a lunch today. With her mother still in the hospital and Karin working full time to keep Kanika's father's company in business, Kanika didn't have the time to make a lunch for herself. She had forgotten to bring money, too, so there was no hope of getting a lunch ticket.

Kanika didn't move from her desk when the bell rang. Her stomach growled slightly, but she ignored it, and opened up her science textbook instead. She still had a lot of homework to catch up on, and it would help to pass the time.

She didn't notice the girl wander over to her. She didn't notice her standing over the desk like a silent ghost. In fact, she might never have noticed her at all if not for Isuzu.

"Akemi, don't just stare at her. That's rude."

The irritable voice cut through Kanika's attention, and she glanced up. There were two girls standing next to her desk. One was Isuzu Koshimizu, the irritable girl reading a book from Kanika's first day. The other was the shy girl in the corner Kanika had almost talked to before Kiira had dragged her away, also on the first day. The girl was tall, much taller than Kanika, and even taller than Isuzu. Both girls had the same long, dark hair, although the tall girl's hair was cut much shorter.

Isuzu left off glaring at the tall girl and glanced down at Kanika.

"Anyone sitting there?" she asked bluntly, pointing at the desk in front of Kanika.

"Uh, no," Kanika said.

"Good."

Isuzu plopped into the seat and started reading her book again. Kanika wondered for a minute what the book was. The tall girl continued to stand there, looking in Kanika's direction but not really at her. It was unnerving.

"Uh...hello?" she asked tentatively.

"Just ignore her," Isuzu said, without looking up from her book.

The girl stared through Kanika for a few more seconds. Then she blinked, as if suddenly coming to herself.

"I'm sorry," the girl said. "About your parents."

Kanika's chest tightened, and she forced a smile which turned into a grimace.

"Thanks..." she said.

The girl stood there for another long moment. Then she sat in the empty chair on Kanika's right. The silence grew for a long moment. It probably would have continued to grow if not for Isuzu. She flung her book on the desk with an exasperated grunt.

"Akemi, stop acting so creepy. You're going to scare her," Isuzu said.

"It's...it's okay, Koshimizu-san," Kanika said. "She can sit there if she wants."

Isuzu rolled her eyes. Then her dark eyes pierced into Kanika with a ferocity that made Kanika draw in a breath.

"Look," she said. "You have got to stop being such a doormat. You got that? People are going to take advantage of you."

She snapped her book back open and continued to read. Kanika blinked with confusion. What was going on? Isuzu's voice cut through the confusion in her head.

"And call me Isuzu. I hate my surname. That's Akemi, my younger twin sister. Don't mind her; she was dropped on her head as a baby."

"T-that's not very nice to say," Kanika mumbled.

"I did fall a lot, though," Akemi said, almost as an afterthought.

Kanika looked back and forth between the two girls.

"Why...why are you sitting over here?" she asked. "I thought you sat with Hatsune-san and Maeda-san."

"Why? You got a problem with us being here?"

"N-no, I was just wondering –"

"Good," Isuzu declared. "Because you're not getting rid of us."

Akemi didn't say anything, but Kanika got the feeling that she was agreeing.

_After school_

"You doing anything today?" Isuzu asked.

"No...why?"

"Good. You're coming with me and Akemi."

"H-huh?"

"Don't say no; you're coming."

"I-I didn't say no..."

"Good. Come on."

And so it was that Kanika found herself standing in front of Domino Museum with Isuzu on one side and Akemi on the other.

"Um...Koshimizu-san...why are we here?"

"I told you to call me Isuzu," Isuzu said. "And we're here because Akemi wanted to see the Egyptian exhibit, and I don't want to be stuck with her by myself all day. Now come on."

Isuzu practically shoved Kanika through the doors, Kanika protesting. She quieted down once inside the museum. It was a quiet, dusty kind of place, with the light streaming in from the windows. The man at the desk was asleep against his hand, and Isuzu marched past him without a second thought.

"Don't we need to buy a ticket?" Kanika asked.

"Museum's free on Fridays," Isuzu said. "Come on."

Akemi floated along beside Kanika, so smoothly it was as though she was made of air. Kanika bit her lip, wondering why she was here. Well, besides the fact that Isuzu had practically dragged her here. But then they came around the corner into the ancient civilizations room, and Kanika stopped worrying.

Beautiful Roman mosaics gleamed behind glass alongside urns and vases. A replica Phonetician long boat sat in the middle, oars gleaming and seemingly ready for use. Several Greek statues clustered in a corner, a few limbs and noses missing here and there. Kanika felt a weight on her chest lift, and she wandered over to look admiringly at some Celtic weaponry. Akemi followed her, but Isuzu leaned against a wall and returned to her book.

Kanika barely noticed, so busy she was staring at the artifacts.

"Isuzu's rough around the edges," Akemi said suddenly, startling Kanika to look up at her.

The tall girl wasn't looking at Kanika, her eyes on the displays.

"I did want to see the exhibit," Akemi said. "We would have gone anyway. But Isuzu said she heard you tell Ami that you liked history on the first day of school."

"I...I think I said something like that," Kanika said, not really understanding.

Akemi looked down at Kanika, and for the first time, Kanika really met that soft, dark gaze.

"Our mother died from cancer three years ago. We've always believed the only reason we got by was because we had each other."

Akemi glanced back at the stubborn Isuzu with her eyes glued to her book.

"Don't tell her I said this, because she'll deny it," Akemi said. "But I think Isuzu wanted you to come with because she knows you don't have anyone. You've lost the people most important to you, and she doesn't want you to be alone, like we were."

As Akemi talked, Kanika felt tears starting to prickle at her eyes. She tried to say something, but her throat was too tight. Frustrated, she rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears. Akemi touched her shoulder gently, and although she didn't speak, Kanika could tell what she was saying.

_It's okay to cry._

So she did. She let the tears fall again, even though she thought she had cried herself dry. Somewhere during her sobs, Akemi started hugging her, Kanika wasn't sure when. But she did know that once the tears stopped, she and Akemi stepped a little bit away from each other.

"Thank you," Kanika whispered.

Akemi didn't reply.

"Hey, Isuzu!" said a bright, cheerful voice. "I didn't know you liked history. What are you doing here?"

Kanika and Akemi looked over to see Kiira Maeda and Ami Hatsune walking into the exhibit. The voice belonged to Kiira, her eyes bright and cheerful as ever.

"I could ask you the same thing," Isuzu said, looking more irritated than before.

"I saw you coming here on my way home," Kiira said. "I wanted to know what was up!"

"It's so dusty," Ami whined. As if on cue, she sneezed loudly.

Kiira looked around, her blond bob bouncing.

"Doesn't look too interesting," she said. "I can't see the draw, anyway. I thought you'd rather be reading your porn."

"Just because it's _yuri_ doesn't make it porn," Isuzu said venomously. "I'm only here because Akemi wanted to go."

"A-and it's very interesting!" Kanika piped in. She withered almost instantly once all eyes turned on her.

Kiira's eyes sparked

"Really? How so?" she said. "I mean, everything in here is dead and gone. What's interesting about it?"

"It's...uh..." Kanika stammered.

Isuzu's dark eyes flashed across at her. It was almost a challenge. _Don't be a doormat._ Kanika swallowed. She steeled herself, trying to think of the right words.

"They're...they're building blocks," Kanika said. "If not for this, we wouldn't be here. Isn't it amazing to know how we got here? What was here before? The past directly influences now. Isn't it just beautiful to find out why we're here? Why this caused this instead of something else?"

Kiira half-smiled.

"Not really interested. You're going to have to do better than that."

Kanika deflated. She didn't have anything better to say. Kiira waited for a moment, and then her smile returned.

"Well, it was a good try, Kanika," she said. "Oh, wait, now _that's_ interesting. Come and have a look at this, Ami."

Ami sneezed again, but followed Kiira across the room to peek into the next chamber. Curious to see what had caught Kiira's eye, Kanika, too, walked across to where they were standing. Her mouth dropped open in awe.

The room practically shone with gold and gems in every corner. Funerary masks, turquoise earrings, make-up containers, flasks for beer and wine, hand-painted papyrus – it looked like a well-stocked Egyptian tomb!

But Kiira's eyes seemed to be on something other than the gold, although Ami was looked around with bright eyes at the jewelry. Kanika followed Kiira's gaze to the middle of the room, and Kanika drew in a breath.

It was a mummy. A small, shriveled thing, it lay before its rather plain looking sarcophagus, which was detailed only slightly in gold inlay and a few lapis lazuli stones. With a wide grin, Kiira walked over to the display case and peered at the mummy.

"Hey, history expert," she said, glancing at Kanika. "Think this thing is cursed?"

"No," Kanika said automatically, but for some reason, the room seemed a lot colder.

"Really? You're no fun."

"The ancient Egyptians believed that you could only stay in the afterlife as long as your body was intact," Kanika said. "They tried to scare people away from the supplies for the afterlife with the ideas of curses."

"But they believed that curses existed, right? They had all those gods and stuff."

Kanika opened her mouth to reply.

_"Kanika. Here."_

_Auset was in front of her, hanging an eye-shaped pendant around Kanika's neck._

_"What's this for?"_

_"It will ward off the evil eye."_

_"What's that?"_

_"A powerful curse."_

Kanika shook her head, suddenly terrified. That was from her dreams, wasn't it? Why was it coming to her when she was awake? Was she going to have another attack?

Kiira walked all the way around the mummy, staring at it.

"Wonder what would happen if it came to life, like in that horror movie," she said, looking excited by the idea.

"Don't talk about ghosts, or they'll come!" Ami said, looking frightened.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," Isuzu said. "Stop trying to scare us, Maeda."

Kiira shrugged, still smiling.

"Hey, the top's open," she said, peering over the top of the case. "I wonder why. I could almost touch it."

She started to reach over the side. Then she paused. She glanced back at everyone else, and her smile broadened.

"Hey, Kanika," she said. "I dare you to touch it."

"W-what?" Kanika said.

"You said there's no such thing as a curse, so prove it. I dare you to touch the mummy."

"N-no, I can't," Kanika said. "Oils from the fingers can damage it..."

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Kiira said. "Come on. This isn't even a pharaoh, so the curse can't be that bad. The sign said it was some young noble girl or something."

"But still, I could damage it –"

"Come on, do it!"

"She doesn't have to do it if she doesn't want to!" Isuzu said.

"Why don't you touch it for her, then?" Kiira shot back.

"Why don't you touch it, since you're so hellbent on someone touching it?"

Kanika's head was starting to hurt. There was a pounding tempo in her brain, and the shouting was only making it worse. Kiira jumped in front of her.

"Come on, do it!" she said. "We're playing Truth or Dare now, okay? You do this, and then you can dare me to do something. Okay?"

"But...I..."

Kiira grabbed her shoulders and steered her in front of the mummy. Kanika's heart jumped into her throat, suddenly face to face with the shriveled being. She felt like throwing up – this had _been_ someone once! It had been a person, with a life, with dreams, hopes, and ideas. It was a surreal feeling – but even so, she did not want to be so close to it.

Isuzu shoved Kiira's hands off of Kanika's shoulders.

"Stop it, Maeda!" Isuzu shouted. "You're being a bitch!"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you," Kiira said.

Kanika's head spun. She could not take her eyes off of the mummy's face, where the bandages were beginning to rot and the eye sockets were visible. She stared into those strange, empty depths, as her heart continued to beat faster and faster and her lungs felt like they were being squeezed tighter with each passing second. For a single, wild second, she thought there might actually be a curse. And then, with a strange, wrenching sensation, there appeared to be eyes in those empty sockets –

Her own eyes.

With a scream, her vision blacked out. She registered hitting the floor. Somewhere at the back of her head, she could hear one of the girls screaming – probably Ami. She thought she felt soft hands cradling her head as her arms and legs began to flail.

Then, for a single, bright moment, she could see the bright golden dunes of ancient Egypt, pyramids glimmering in the distance – and standing somewhere in front of them two figures. Both of average height, with bronzed skin and tense stances, they seemed at the same time to be there and not there. One wore a long purple cape over his tunic, spiky hair moving slightly in a breeze she couldn't feel. Red eyes burned with a fiery determination. An upside-down, golden pyramid hung from his neck. The other wore a red cloak, white hair looking almost purple in the light. A terrible scar ran down one side of his face, twisting his grin into something terrifying. Dark eyes met the red ones with an easy confidence, as the light played across the intricate ring-shaped pendant around his neck.

She tried to reach for them – because they were important! They were going to end it – end what? She didn't know, but they had to end this! They had to!

And then she returned to herself. Faces peered down at her, some with unbridled terror, and some with wide-eyed concern.

Akemi spoke first, to everyone's surprise.

"What did you see?" she said.

Kanika swallowed. It didn't occur to her to wonder why Akemi seemed to know about the dream.

"I don't know," she whispered. "I...I don't know."


End file.
